Horses or horsepower, high speed hits region

Fans of high speed will be spoilt for choice in Richmond this Friday.

The Nelson Harness Racing Club will open its annual two-day meeting just after 3pm and just two hours later the New Zealand Superstock Champs will kick in to gear further down Lower Queen Street.

While speedway lovers get plenty of racing action during the season, harness supporters are limited to just this Friday and Sunday, but NHRC President Kristie Hill hopes that could change.

“We lost our winter meetings during Covid-19 but we are pushing hard to get those two dates back,” Kristie confirms.

Harness Racing New Zealand’s Chief Executive Brad Steele and the Head of Wagering and Racing Matt Peden are travelling up from Christchurch for this week’s meetings, and both Australians can expect a charm offensive.

“Our Richmond Park surface is extremely fast and very fair. The quality of the camber on the home bend gives every runner a chance – frontrunners or swoopers,” Kristie enthuses, who has been president for the past six years.

She is continuing the Hill family tradition, going back decades. Her grandfather Joe and father Brian were successful horsemen who also fulfilled multiple roles for the club.

Kristie lives in Canterbury these days but retains her passion for the club where she drove her first winner in 1999, Carmenchita
“I do club zoom meetings, come up for working bees and my job with Dunstan Feeds brings me here as well,” the president says.

As always, the club will be well supported by leading Canterbury trainers with the premiership-winning Dunn stable sending up to 16 runners north from its Woodend Beach base.

“A lot of the trainers treat the Nelson trip as a working holiday and camp on the course. They love coming up here and we make sure they are well looked after,” Kristie says.

But the handful of local trainers are hoping to ensure the southern raiders don’t claim all the spoils.

Wakefield owner-trainer Robbie Stuart has unearthed a real up and comer in Sideshow Bruce which has won three of its four starts and was a close second in the other.

The four-year-old comfortably passed a standing start trial on Sunday and has been earmarked for its biggest test to date, the Nelson Cup.

Richmond trainers Tim Fensom and Murray Pash also enjoyed success on last month’s West Coast circuit.

Another drawcard will be the appearance of champion female driver Sam Ottley who was in phenomenal winning form over the Christmas-New Year period.

And don’t be surprised if several of the harness drivers are spotted in the speedway crowd, just down the road, later on Friday night or at least the following day.

More than 100 entries have been received for the Superstock Champs which were last held in Nelson 12 years ago. Drivers will be split into five groups with three-time champion Asher Rees looking for an unheard-of four-peat.

A weekend working bee has ensured the venue is certainly looking the part, too.